IT hiring expected to increase in D.C. region

About 13 percent of Washington, D.C., area chief information officers plan to expand their IT teams in the fourth quarter, according to a survey by Robert Half Management.

That’s up from 12 percent during the third quarter.

Another 62 percent of CIOs said they plan to fill open IT roles during the quarter, compared with 59 percent in the third quarter. Nineteen percent of respondents said they plan on putting their IT hiring on hold during the quarter, while 5 percent planned to reduce it.

"Hiring in the Washington, D.C.,metro remains competitive," Chris Brinkman, Washington, D.C. regional vice president of Robert Half Technology, said in a statement. "As companies focus on driving greater efficiencies and return on investments through their applications, they increasingly require professionals with application development and web development expertise."

The IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report results reflect a two-quarter rolling average based on interviews with 200 CIOs from a random sample of companies in the Washington, D.C., area with 100 or more employees.

The report showed that most of CIOs – 68 percent – find recruiting somewhat or very challenging, particularly in the areas of networking (18 percent), data/database management (17 percent) and application development (14 percent.)

Respondents said demand was greatest for database management skills (56 percent) and desktop support and network administration, both with 52 percent.